


Winning is Fun. Losing is Too.

by muckkles



Category: Hikaru no Go, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Older gays help a younger gay Realize his feelings, thats it thats the fic!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27423232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muckkles/pseuds/muckkles
Summary: Hikaru and Akira visit a couple of retired go pros in China on recommendation from their friend. Surprise! It's Wangxian.This is an extremely silly and self indulgent crossover fic that I wrote literally for me and one (1) other person (hi C!) while I was at work today because I spent the three days during and following election day reading all 191 chapters of Hikaru No Go for the first time.
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Shindou Hikaru/Touya Akira
Comments: 19
Kudos: 72





	Winning is Fun. Losing is Too.

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the canon years of Hikaru No Go, so early 2000s and that's why they're using MapQuest instead of Google Maps :)
> 
> I was going to apologize for putting this in the MDZS tags but my friend told me not to LOL cringe is over I refuse to be embarrassed by this!! I am just having Fun.
> 
> Title from Roses Are Falling by Orville Peck because yes even this very ridiculous and unedited fic gets an Orville lyric title.

"Touya, wait up!"

"No! You've already made us late by refusing to let me look at the map."

"I don't need help reading a map!"

Hikaru grumbles as he tugs his and his roommate's shared suitcase over the perfectly paved asphalt. This isn't the first time they’ve argued over directions and he doubts it will be the last. The certainty of that is almost strangely comforting though. Grass is green, the sky is blue, Shindo Hikaru and Touya Akira bicker over MapQuest printouts. All is right with the world.

"Are these go players really so great anyway?" he asks, offering a change of subject. "How come I've never heard of them?" They've been staying at the Chinese go institute at Isumi's invitation until this weekend. Then Isumi insisted that they would benefit from studying with two of the most accomplished go players in China, even if only for a few days, and all but packed their bag for them.

"Isumi-san said they both quit their professional careers before either of us began ours, but I'm not sure why. Apparently, they were the top players in China back then." Touya produces a handkerchief (the yellow one Hikaru gifted him after his last tournament win) and delicately blots a bead of sweat from his forehead as he hurries ahead.

Hikaru purses his lips. "You would think their names would at least sound familiar to me then…"

"At least one of their family names _should_ be familiar to you. They've been well-known in the go world for generations. But you didn't even know of my father when I first met you."

Hikaru sticks his tongue out at his back.

They round the corner and he stumbles a bit over a pebble in the long driveway now stretching ahead of them. He blinks dumbly up at the massive estate sprawling out amongst the hills to either side. He has been a guest in plenty of wealthy homes back in Japan - Touya's family home was Not cheap - but this is something else entirely. This is old money. _Extremely_ old money.

"Hey, are you sure we have the right place…"

Touya only shoots him a frown over his shoulder and continues marching toward the front door, so Hikaru has no choice but to follow. Despite his badgering, he does wait for Hikaru when he gets there. However, before he can raise his hand to ring the bell, the door flies open, revealing a grinning man in black, his long hair tied up with a red sash.

"You must be the young go players Isumi-kun called about!" he exclaims, gesturing them inside with a wide sweep of his arm. "Come in, come in! We were just finishing a lesson."

Hikaru and Touya glance at each other, a bit overwhelmed at the display of enthusiasm. They step over the threshold, staring owlishly at the man standing before them. He puts his hands on his hips as they remove their shoes.

"Are you impressed with my Japanese?" he asks them with a wink. "Lan Zhan's been helping me practice. Oh! I'm Wei Ying by the way. Nice to meet you." He bows his head slightly.

Hikaru hastily bows back, a second behind Touya, and they both introduce themselves. Wei Ying turns and starts leading them further inside.

"Wei-sensei," Touya says, "is this a school?"

Wei Ying laughs. "Our school and our home. It's called Cloud Recesses."

"You and Lan-sensei live together?" Hikaru asks.

"Of course we do! Why wouldn't we?"

Hikaru nods to himself. It makes sense. Him and Touya live together too. Neither of them need the financial help, but it's nice to have someone close by, especially someone you get along with who shares your interests.

"Ah, there Lan Zhan is now."

He looks up to see a tall man emerge from a room ahead of them. He's dressed in a lightweight pale blue button down with a cloud pattern embroidered along the collar and wide legged flowing white pants. His long hair hangs down his back in a neat braid. Given the historic look of Cloud Recesses, Hikaru wonders idly if they both keep their hair so long as a nod to tradition.

Then his eyes almost bug out of his head when Wei Ying bounds over to Lan Zhan, grabs his hand, and kisses him on the cheek. He tries to close his gaping mouth. He knows he's heard of cultures where casual hand holding and kissing is commonplace between friends, even amongst men, but he can't quite seem to remember if China is one of those. He wishes he knew more about the world outside of Japan. He wishes he even knew more about Japan sometimes. He looks over to gauge Touya's reaction and is surprised to see his cheeks lit up red. Huh… so maybe it isn't a Chinese thing…? They must just be really close.

Lan Zhan bows his head in greeting at Hikaru and Touya and they do the same.

"Lan Zhan, these are those go kids Isumi-kun told us about."

Hikaru is about to refute that when Lan Zhan beats him to it.

"Not kids," he says. "They're seventeen. They have careers."

Wei Ying waves a hand dismissively. "Of course, of course."

At that moment several young children, around eight or nine years old, file out of the room Lan Zhan just came from. They stop short when they spot Hikaru and Touya standing in the hall, staring at them with wide, curious eyes. Wei Ying grabs their attention, grinning widely and saying something to them in Mandarin. They bow to both him and Lan Zhan as a group and then file away down the hall, a couple of them peeking over their shoulders as they go.

"Some of our students," Wei Ying explains. "Now come on, let's go to the sitting room and have some tea, or whatever it is good hosts do."

They're led away once more, trailing after the two men ahead of them. Wei Ying hasn't dropped Lan Zhan's hand yet. Hikaru looks over at Touya again who seems to be avoiding his gaze on purpose.

Hikaru lowers his voice to a whisper. "Hey, why are you being weird?"

"I'm not being weird." Touya still isn't looking at him.

Hikaru frowns but before he can press him further they've arrived. The room is well-lit, with sparse traditional furnishings dotted throughout. It all looks so expensive that Hikaru is almost afraid to touch anything. Wei Ying strolls in without a care however, and plops down at the low table in the center of the room. Lan Zhan moves to the sideboard and turns on an electric kettle. Hikaru and Touya settle down at the table next to each other.

"So tell us about yourselves!" Wei Ying says. "I know a bit about Touya-kun, but I honestly haven't been keeping up much with the international scene the past few years. How did you get into playing go Shindo-kun?"

"I met Touya when we were 12," Hikaru starts, having rehearsed this story many times by now. He never stumbles over talking around Sai's existence anymore. "I'd seen some old copies of Honinbo Shusaku's kifu my grandpa kept in his loft and I tried out what I could remember on him. I ended up beating him and he got so mad that he challenged me to a rematch."

"I wasn't mad, just shocked," Touya interrupts.

"You were definitely mad. Anyway, it turns out I just got lucky. I really sucked after that. But Touya's passion inspired me to chase him and I ended up studying go on my own until I became a pro and got good enough to challenge him again."

"We've played and studied often since then and we ended up renting an apartment together about six months ago for convenience's sake," Touya adds.

There's an odd twinkle in Wei Ying's eye as he watches the two of them. "Ah, you remind me so much of us when we were your age. I used to not like go either. My adoptive family tried to get me interested but I couldn't sit still for it. But then I saw the way Lan Zhan played and I was just captivated. Hey, Lan Zhan, remember that overnight go study trip when we got locked in that Korean hotel room together?"

Lan Zhan huffs as he kneels down by the table, setting out steaming cups in front of each of them. "Behave."

"I am behaving!"

Wei Ying smirks and exchanges a look with Lan Zhan. Hikaru feels like he's been left out of some joke.

"What about competing though?" he asks. "Isumi-san said you both quit being pros years ago. Did you quit to start teaching instead? Isn't that something pros do anyway?"

"Ah, Isumi-kun didn’t tell you? That's a bit of a sad story."

"Wei Ying was falsely accused of cheating," Lan Zhan explains. "Several title holders backed up the claims without proof. Wei Ying was forced to leave the professional go world. I followed." He sips his tea.

"You really didn't have to, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying says it with the weak insistence that accompanies a well-worn argument.

"I wanted to." Lan Zhan’s voice is firm, but not unkind.

"It was all that damn Jin Zixun's fault anyway," Wei Ying moans. "And Jin Guangshan. And Jin Guangyao. And probably Jin Zixuan. Just all the Jins! I hate them! Except MianMian, she can stay."

"I doubt your sister's husband had anything to do with it."

Wei Ying waves his hand. "I can still hate him regardless."

Hikaru and Touya both look to each other with wide eyes. This is all more dramatic than either of them were expecting.

"So now you only teach go without competing?" Touya asks.

Wei Ying nods. "We both settled down, got married, and set up the school together. We teach music too. And sometimes I tutor math and science. Lan Zhan does literature."

Hikaru frowns. "That isn't right. You should be able to compete if you want to. Can't you prove yourself innocent?"

Wei Ying smiles, but there's a touch of sadness around the edges. "It's fine Shindo-kun. What's done is done. Besides, I wouldn't give up my life here with Lan Zhan for anything."

Lan Zhan looks over at Wei Ying with a small smile and fond eyes. Watching it feels a bit like intruding on something private.

"I'm the same!" Hikaru blurts, in an attempt to get it to stop. "I wouldn't give up living and studying go with Touya for anything either." When he looks over at Touya, his friend's cheeks are confusingly bright red once more.

Wei Ying grins and that strange glint is back in his eye. "Oh, so it _is_ like that then."

Hikaru's brow furrows. "Like what?"

Wei Ying only laughs, which frustrates Hikaru further. He looks to Lan Zhan for some explanation, but the man just hides a smile behind the rim of his teacup. Touya is quiet beside him too. Hikaru takes a sip of his own tea to calm his agitation, then realizes his own cheeks are warm too. That's odd. He decides to change the subject.

"This place is huge. Do your families live here too?"

"Our families?" Wei Ying tilts his head. "My siblings live elsewhere. Lan Zhan's brother and uncle live here though. It's their family home."

"What about your wives?"

Lan Zhan blinks in surprise as Wei Ying, who had taken that moment to finally touch his tea, chokes and starts pounding on his chest with his fist. Lan Zhan reaches over to pat his back.

"Shindo!" Touya, face still red, shoves at Hikaru's arm.

"What? What's wrong? He said they were married!"

"To each other!" Wei Ying wheezes, eyes streaming as he finally gets his breath back. He starts laughing then, clinging to Lan Zhan's arm in a vain attempt at not falling over backwards.

Now it's Hikaru's turn to blink in shock and a second later his entire face burns hot. "Huh? To each-? You two…?" Touya shoves him hard again, and Hikaru catches himself on his elbow against the floor. "Hey, will you stop that?? How was I supposed to know!"

Wei Ying lays on his back and keeps cackling at the ceiling.

=====

A half hour later they’ve been shown where their rooms are and Touya lingers to unpack his things while Hikaru keeps Wei Ying company. Lan Zhan left to start dinner so it's just the two of them and Hikaru is feeling antsy. He wishes they could just play a game of go so he could get this energy out of his system.

"I think Touya-kun is upset with you," Wei Ying says, surprising him out of his thoughts. Despite the words, that twinkle in his eye is back once again.

Hikaru frowns. "No, he's just like that. We fight, but it's not real."

"Does he yell at anyone else or push anyone else around like that?"

"No," Hikaru answers, tilting his head in thought. "Just me I think. He didn't have many friends before me. Mostly old guys who played go with his dad."

Wei Ying laughs, "He's just like Lan Zhan was as a teenager."

Hikaru is a little offended on Touya's behalf by that comment. Touya isn’t nearly as stoic or… boring. In fact, Touya and Lan Zhan don't have much in common at all besides both of them being good looking.

"I can't imagine Lan-sensei yelling at anyone."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. He used to hound me so bad. He thought I was disrespectful. Which, to be fair, I was."

"And now you're… married?" It feels strange to say it out loud.

"Yeah." Wei Ying leans his cheek on his hand and takes on a dreamy expression. "Lan Zhan is the best. I still can’t believe he wants to be with me sometimes."

"Sorry, I…" Hikaru clears his throat, feeling his face flush for about the fifth time so far today. "I've never thought about… two men…"

A beat passes, then Wei Ying starts laughing again, causing Hikaru to blush further in embarrassment.

"Ah, no, sorry. I'm not laughing at you. It's just, I was the same back then. Lan Zhan had a crush on me for the longest time and I didn’t even realize my own feelings. I just thought we were best friends. But we really never acted like just friends. We were obsessed with each other," he chuckles.

"O-oh…" Hikaru swallows around a suddenly dry throat.

"What are you thinking about, Hikaru-kun?" Wei Ying is eyeing him carefully.

"Um, nothing."

Wei Ying laughs but it's gentle this time. He gives Hikaru an understanding look that has him squirming in his seat. Suddenly he really wants to escape this conversation. He stands up.

"Bathroom?"

Wei Ying startles a little. "There's a private one attached to your room."

"Thank you." Hikaru bows, probably a little too formally, and flees the sitting room.

Once he's in the hallway he wanders in a daze toward the general direction of the guest rooms. One short conversation with Wei Ying has got him reconsidering every single interaction he's ever had with Touya. They were just friends… right? Friends bicker. Friends spend lots of time together. Friends even live together sometimes. He thinks about the meals they've learned to cook for each other. He thinks about their shared suitcase. He thinks about how no one holds him to the same standards as Touya does and how Touya is the only person whos opinions he really, _actually_ cares about. He thinks about the fact he mentally referred to Touya as being attractive just earlier this very evening. It wasn't an incorrect thought… Touya is very good looking! Objectively. And so what if he gets a secret thrill every time Touya asks him his opinion on his outfit for the day? So what if he spends a lot of time staring at how shiny and pretty Touya's hair looks? That's normal friend behavior. Right? Right??

Hikaru is shocked out of his thoughts when he opens the door to his room only to run headlong into Touya himself. He instinctively reaches out to grab Touya's shoulder and steady him.

"Ow, Shindo! This is my room. Yours is next door."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, I got distracted."

Suddenly he's all too aware of the warmth seeping up from under the layers of Touya's top and cardigan and he snatches his hand back. He shifts on his feet a bit, trying hard not to let his eyes linger on any one part of his friend. He settles on staring over his shoulder instead.

"Are you feeling alright? You're acting funny," Touya says. "Why won't you look at me?"

Hikaru looks back at Touya's face then and regrets it immediately. They're very close. Touya's skin is perfect, even at this distance. His hair looks incredibly soft. It always has. Hikaru's gaze falls to his lips.

"Akira," he breathes, then immediately clears his throat, looking away with burning cheeks. "I-I mean Touya… Um."

"Hikaru?"

Hikaru looks back quickly. Touya is staring up at him with wide eyes. He's drawn in by them, feeling himself leaning forward involuntarily.

"Oh, finally," Touya says and then grabs two handfuls of the front of Hikaru's shirt and pulls him into a kiss.

It's chaste, and only a few seconds long, but it makes Hikaru's heart pound like he's just run a marathon. They separate only by inches.

Touya is panting slightly as he admits, "I've been wanting to do that for so long."

Hikaru gapes at him. "What? How long?"

"I've been obsessed with you since we were twelve, Shindo. But I mean, as far as _that_ goes, probably since that first time you stayed at my house before the first Hokuto Tournament."

"Ever since then…? All you did was yell at me those three days." Hikaru is reeling from the revelation of it.

"Why do you think I yell at you so much?"

"Oh… I know now." He reaches up, hesitantly at first, then with more confidence, and tucks Touya's hair behind his ear. "I've always wanted to touch your hair. I didn't realize why before," he says, marveling that it's somehow even softer than he imagined.

Touya grips his shirt tighter and thumps his face into Hikaru's shoulder, likely hiding a blush. Hikaru laughs and wraps both arms around him.

"Well, I get the feeling Wei-sensei is going to want to throw a party. And our friends aren't going to let us live this down."

"They all already know my feelings," Touya tells his shirt.

"What? Huh? How? You told them?"

"No. I was very obvious. You are the only one who never realized."

Hikaru groans and buries his face in Touya's hair. It smells like lavender shampoo. "Can't you forgive me? It's not like we're old yet."

Touya pokes his side hard. "No forgiveness."

"I'll kiss you again."

"… Some forgiveness."

Hikaru laughs and thinks he might just let Wei-sensei win their first game later as thanks.

(He doesn't. Wei Ying crushes him of his own accord.)

**Author's Note:**

> If you really read this, wow thanks!! I hope it made you smile.


End file.
